The Tornado (1917)

Name: The Tornado
Genre: Western
Released: 1917-03-03

30m

Running Time

Plot.

The Tornado mostly followed pulp Western formula -- bad guys hold up a town, take a girl hostage, and the hero rides to the rescue. But there were a couple of twists that made it seem more personal than the usual cowboy fare. Ford's Jack Dayton ... is known as "the No-Gun Man" because he faces the villains unarmed, anticipating the character played by James Stewart in George Marshall's 1939 Western comedy classic Destry Rides Again. Dayton is an immigrant who uses the reward money to bring over his mother (Jean Hathaway) from Ireland, a prototypically Fordian situation if there ever was one.

Where to Watch.

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Cast & Crew.

John Ford

Jack Dayton (as Jack Ford) / Director / Writer

Jean Hathaway

Jack's mother

Peter Gerald

Pendleton - banker from Rock River (as Pete Gerald)

Peter Gerald

Pendleton - banker from Rock River

Elsie Thornton

Bess - Jack's daughter

Duke Worne

Lesparre - the lead of Cayote gang

John Duffy

Slick - Jack's partner

Francis Ford

Story

Grace Cunard

Story

Details.

Release Date
March 3, 1917

Status
Released

Running Time
30m

Genres
Western

Last updated: 2025-02-16

Wiki.

The Tornado is a 1917 American short film directed and co-written by John Ford, who at that time was credited as "Jack Ford". Filmed in California, the two-reel Western starred Ford as well, with a supporting cast that included Jean Hathaway, John Duffy, Peter Gerald, Elsie Thornton, and Duke Worne. This short is generally cited by film historians to be Ford's debut film as a director, although he had served as an assistant director in some earlier productions directed by his elder brother Francis Ford. Produced by Bison Motion Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures, this short is currently classified as a lost film.